


Hydrangea & Sky Flower

by minisuflower, stormsofrg (ElkinJ)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, Mafia AU, Multi, dont even ask, isa has an existential crisis, its complicated, sora is too good for the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-08-19 11:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20208820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minisuflower/pseuds/minisuflower, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElkinJ/pseuds/stormsofrg
Summary: When his family disappears, Sora's best friend Kairi tells him that, through the language of flowers, a mourner can "speak" to the dead.When Isa hears the bell over the door to his shop ring, the last thing he's expecting is the boy that was left from the botched mission Axel had completed the day before. But there he stood, clutching a list of flowers and asking to speak to the dead.(co-written as rp (glaceydiviner and minisuflower). mild editing done. you can kind of tell there's two distinct styles)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my (glaceydiviner's) first actual posting to this site, and i'm still sort of getting used to how it works. this thing that su and i are doing is already pretty massive (the word document, unedited, is at 16,310 words), so i should get a little better as i post more. in the mean time... i hope you like whatever this is

Isa has a headache. That, in itself, isn't _strictly_ unusual. He has a headache a lot. Having a headache because of Lea, too, isn't unusual. Even if the proper cause of the headache was moreso Demyx than anyone else... Eh, the particulars don't matter. No doubt Demyx is in for some serious repercussions, at least if Isa has his way. Slacking off is one thing. Slacking off in a way that led to _exposure_, far more exposure than Isa is comfortable with, hell, probably that Xemnas is comfortable with, is a completely different thing. How the hell did he mess up recon so badly as to miss an entire _child_, a _boy_, in the target home? Isa remembers Lea swearing a blue streak when he'd gotten back, although he admitted that he didn't think the kid saw him, or at least not _well_. He hadn't wanted to kill the kid though. Isa didn't blame him.

Anyway. So it's been a full 24 hours, or nearabout, and Isa definitely has a headache still. He'd had Xigbar immediately get all the information he could on the survivor. A boy named Sora. Isa has his face memorized, now, as he tends to a forget-me-not and keeps one eye on the door. It probably wouldn't come up, but... One could never be too safe in this line of work.

Just as Isa glances up at the door, the bell connecting to it rings as a boy steps through.

He seems around 14 or 15 and his eyes were red from apparently crying, brown spiky hair dampened by the rain outside. "Uhm..." He clears his throat, holding a piece of crumpled paper close to him. He shakes his head and looks to the ground, before looking up again to the blue haired man with some withering determination in his eyes.

"Hello sir- can I, uh- _Are there any flowers to speak with the dead?_" He stumbles over his words, a bright red blush of embarrassment crossing his freckled face. Okay, that totally is not what Kairi specifically told him to say, he screwed it up! The boy shuffled on his feet before just slamming the piece of paper onto the counter, neat handwriting scribbling a list of flowers across it. "One of my best friends told me to uh-- come here. And just...give this to you. Yeah- Sorry I don't go to...” A small hand wave, cut off suddenly as if he's unsure if even that is appropriate. “…Places like this a lot." He raises the hand and rubs the back of his head instead, looking away from Isa.

The litany of swearing running behind Isa's flat eyes would have made Xigbar blush. Wake him up (wake him up inside) can't wake up (wake him up inside). Isa set down the clippers he was holding and folded his hands behind his back, fingers picking at the sleeves of his turtleneck. He reminds himself to stop that. The head-rubbing resembles Lea, overwhelmingly, and he forces himself to stop that, too.

"Ah," Isa says in as bland a voice as he could manage, picking up the paper with mild interest. Flowers to speak to the dead, huh? Mourning flowers, of course. _Sora._

The list is... Straightforward. A lot of it, if it isn't needed in truly bulk quantities, which Isa doubts it is, he has on hand. White, red, and pink carnations, white heather, violets... Isa looks between the list and the boy in front of him and guesses that he's right that Sora won't be needing a whole lot, at least not at the moment. He clears his throat and sets the paper down. "Alright." He turns and, unceremoniously, marches the child over to a small indoor garden box. There is a bigger greenhouse out on the side, which he'd normally run to on his own, but he isn’t keen on leaving the boy alone in his store. "Here, look. These are the carnations, they're significant on your list."

Sora looks over the flowers, slight awe passing over his eyes. "Woah- they're...really pretty!" He exclaims, bending over to take a closer look to the colors. "Hmnn...I guess if Kairi suggested these the most...then I'm sure they'd love them!" He stands up straight with a grin that comes and slaps his bad mood away all of a sudden. It seems like he is brimming with energy now despite the tragedy that had taken place not too long ago and the dreary weather outside. "How much are they, sir?" He asks as he tilts his head, looking up to Isa, who thinks he looks distinctly… Puppyish. "I hope it ain't too much... Riku and Kairi's parents gave me a lot of money but I don't wanna use all of it up..." Sora muses, mostly retreating into thinking to himself as he trails off.

Despite himself, Isa huffs in mild amusement. He’s still swearing a little in his head, and the kid's voice wasn't much helping his headache, but... It was refreshing, and a little funny, a little cute, to bear witness to this childish innocence. Isa turns, tucking his nose slightly down into his collar, so that he won't have to show this child the weakness, and berates himself a little. Does his inner voice sound like Xemnas? Agh.

"Come, gather up what you want and we'll see." He says, voice rough as he walks over to the counter again, brushing past where the greenery is, looking at it uncertainly. Who is Kairi? Does he have to get Xigbar to look into that? And Riku? That could spell problems, if these... Whoever they were, kids, Isa assumes, are close enough to Sora to know already what was going on. And who knows how much he's told them? Isa leans on the concrete countertop and exhales, making a note to talk to Xigbar later. Or Axel, since the latter was... Not more trustworthy, necessarily, but at least a little less... Bloodthirsty.

Isa doesn't know what his deal is all of a sudden.

As told, the boy grabs at a few carnations and scrambles over to the counter after Isa. Sora looks to some of the other flowers around, noticing how well taken care of they are.

"Wow,” He says brightly. “All the flowers look so... cool and healthy! I think I have a friend that would really like this place." He hums, putting the carnations he collected onto the countertop.

Since Sora is a little short for his age, he's on his toes to even get his elbows on the surface. "Oh! Uh, sir. I didn't ask for your name..? If that's okay to know--! My name's Sora!" He grins again, except it is wider this time, showing his teeth and all. It kind of feels like he is just radiating light now in the small flower shop.

Isa takes the flowers from Sora and sets to wrapping them in paper with a practiced hand, anything to keep his eyes away from the kid's own earnest ones. "Thank you," He says, voice still level and flat, with only the faintest glimmer of pride regarding his well-kept place. He has assistance, here and there, but since Xemnas largely doesn’t need him doing anything more than managing things, and he can do that much from here (not to mention a lot of his colleagues enjoy sitting in his flat upstairs and making a mess of things, or hanging in the back room, or even this front room, and giving him a hard time), he can take care of it mostly on his own. He doesn’t ask about Sora's friend, yet, although he makes a note of that mentally also. Maybe it is Riku or Kairi, the mentioned-but-yet-unknown possible-friends, or maybe it was a third individual of whom Isa was yet ignorant.

"Hm? Oh. My name is--" He pauses for just an instant, a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of thing. "Isa. It's nice to meet you, Sora." He is saying it to be polite, but something about the words, when they came out, strikes Isa as just a tad more genuine than he'd thought or intended. He tapes the paper together, so that it contains the stems and lets the beautiful heads bob free, and then glances at the rain outside before putting the whole thing in a plastic wrap to protect it.

The cash drawer that he has is ancient. Lea likes to joke that it’s about as old as Xehanort—the old man who was sometimes around with Xemnas. Isa always scowls at that, though not without commenting that they really don’t know _how_ old Xehanort was, and it was a family name anyway, so he'd better be careful about how he uses it, maybe he’s referring to the younger. He'd turned away as Lea laughed for much the same reason he'd turned away from Sora before. But anyway. Isa types a few numbers in, appraising the flowers critically, and then clears his throat. "That's 12 munny, then."

Sora watches the process with intrigue while catching the man's name. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Isa!" He chirps, perching his chin on his hands.

His eyebrows perk up when he hears the price and nods quickly, digging through the pockets of his jacket and pulling out the exact number of munny needed; miraculously since he always seems to make a mess usually.

The boy puts the munny on the counter and slides it over to Isa with a proud grin, "I never did much of these stuff by myself before!" He proclaims, "I always had my m--" He cuts himself off, a frown overtaking his mouth. "Sorry-! You didn't need to hear that." Sora mumbles.

"It's not-- Okay." Isa mutters under his breath, sighing. Mr. Isa... That made him feel old. He swept the munny off the counter into his hand, glancing it at for only a moment before putting it away and sliding the flowers towards Sora.

The boy's misstep doesn’t take Isa by surprise; in fact, he barely bats an eye. He isn't curious about where that sentence was going. On the contrary, he is overly familiar with where it was going, but nevertheless, he knows it would be unusual if he didn't rise to it. Yet he couldn't reveal that he knew too much; he couldn't reveal much of anything, really. "Is everything alright?" He opts for, speaking politely if still emotionless.

Sora takes up the flowers in his hands and purses his lips together at the question, seemingly deep in thought.

"Uh....well..." He sighs. "I would have thought it would be all over the news by now but-" The boy shrugs and breathes in, letting a small crack open in his strong facade. "I think... All of my family had disappeared. I don't wanna believe they're 'dead' like the police told me because that just isn't possible right?! They can't just up and vanish in middle of the night! I don't think I was even barely awake during that time so I had no idea what was going on besides feeling scared!" His voice raises up in anger or sadness, who knows.

"I know they aren't dead! They're somewhere out there! And I'll find them, however long it takes!" Sora grits his teeth. "The flowers are just a promise to my friends that I'll find a way to handle this but-!" He closed his eyes tightly as he felt emotions swell over him and angry tears started to pour.

He snaps his eyes open as he realizes what he is doing, "Oh n- Agh! Sorry Mr. Isa! I didn't mean to just say all that all of a sudden! It probably doesn't even make sense to you." He sniffs and uses his wrist to wipe away his tears from his outburst. At least it didn't last too long...

It was right in front of someone he just met though! And that just was really embarrassing for him. The man probably thinks he was annoying or something!

Sora hugs the flowers close to his chest and backs away from the counter. "I uh- should probably go now-!"

Throughout Sora's outpouring, Isa is quiet, watching him neutrally, hardly even moving. It’s interesting, in a weird sort of way, to see how the child interpreted everything, to see where the information went in, what got caught, what escaped, and how he conceptualized it on the way out. His determination could be a problem, the will with which he said that he'd find his family-- while maybe Saix could get away without telling Xemnas about most of this interaction, at least that declaration has to be reported.

Almost unconsciously, Isa reaches below the counter and pulls out a tissue, passing it to Sora delicately. "Wait," He says, fighting with himself. "Wait right there for just a moment." He doesn't leave room for argument as he walks out the side door to the greenhouse, letting the rain soak him. He's not Axel, he doesn't mind.

He comes back with a small bundle of blue and purple hyacinths, which match his general aesthetic pretty well, if Sora's paying attention. There's just a few of them, tied together with twine, and he presses them into Sora's arms also. "Here," He says calmly, a string out of place on his turtleneck's cuff. "Take these, too. They're nice."

Sora blinks with confusion, using the tissue to wipe away at the rest of his tears, flabbergasted by the other flowers. "Huh? A-Are you sure? What for?" He asks Isa, tilting his head. He doesn’t understand what the extra flowers were for but..._he appreciated it._

"Ah- Never mind! You don't need to answer. Thank you, Mr. Isa!" He subconsciously bows a bit, a smile regaining on his face again. "Thank you for listening to me and helping me out! I'll come back tomorrow to check out more of your pretty flowers!" He huffs with glee strongly apparent in his body language. It seems like Isa really cheered him up from his small outburst.

Sora walks over to the front door and opens it, putting his hood over his head. He stills as he takes one step out, turning around and waving at the man before darting through the rain to head back to wherever he is staying at for now.

Isa allows himself a small smile when Sora turns and waves, maybe more for the child's benefit than his own, but then as the small figure disappears, swallowed by the rain, he sighs heavily and leans on the counter, putting his full elbows on it and letting it take his weight, exhausted. This would be a huge hassle, he thinks. He shakes his head and feels droplets spin off his hair, which was growing out at the insistence of a few different people among the Organization's ranks. If the kid was truthful, he was already getting a little attached to Isa, which would be a big pain. He was doing _so well_, this could ruin it. The next time he sees Demyx, the guy is really going to get it from him.

He calls Xigbar on the burner in the back. The sharpshooter picks up after just one ring, which Saïx is grateful for. This would be difficult enough without dragging it out. “This is Two,” He says when he answers, short, sweet, and to the point. This is why they get along.

“It's Seven. I've got a little bit of a problem.”

“Huh?” The older man laughs and Saïx's skin crawls just a bit. “What kind of problem could you possibly have? Wait, let me guess.” Infuriating. “It has to do with Demyx and his screw up yesterday.”

Clearly, Xigbar expects him to have a problem relating to paperwork. Maybe a bit of fear regarding approaching the Superior with this. The berserker takes a small measure of grim delight that he's about to surprise him. “Yes, I suppose it does. The boy has made contact with me.”

There’s a sputter on the other end. “The—The kid? From Axel’s mission yesterday?”

“Correct.”

“You can’t just say this sort of thing all casual, Seven!” He’s maybe a little more shocked than Saix thought he would be, and even a little… Pleased? Although he can’t possibly fathom why. “Okay, so why call me, anyway? You’re all cozy with Xemnas, you could just bring this straight to him.”

“Who says I’m not?” Saix doesn’t give him a chance to answer that, though he can all but feel Xigbar’s snort. “He mentioned two friends, though, that seem close to him. Before I bring _that_ much to Xemnas, I want you to dig a little into them. Find out who they are.”

“Aye aye,” Xigbar says with a touch of mockery. Saix, figuring that ignoring him is the better part of valor, hangs up. He will bring this matter straight to Xemnas but… He puts his head in his hands and sighs. First, his headache needs to wear off a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the kudos and comments on the previous chapter! i swear, we have so much of this already written, it's just a matter of how fast can i edit and write the bonus content... and special shout out to su for putting up with me having been out of cell service most of the past week and now in the dorms. truly inspiring, her show of strength with me

For a few weeks now, since the terrible tragedy occurred and Sora moved into Kairi’s home, he’s been spending time in Isa’s small flower shop. Almost every day, the boy brings in a fresh set of questions about flowers and other random conversation topics as he tries to get to know Isa any better. Because honestly? Sora enjoys talking to him a lot and is excited to visit him anytime he can. It feels like he is getting a much-needed connection and his best friends, Riku and Kairi, can see that it is making him happier despite what had occurred.

He usually goes alone. On this day though, Sora stands up from the breakfast table in Kairi's living room and slams his hands down. "I am going to take Kairi and Riku to go see Mr. Isa with me today!" He declares. Kairi's mother and siblings look at him as if he has grown two heads, while Kairi was losing it, laughing at the other end of the table. Sora is determined once again.

It was pretty well into the afternoon when Sora bursts through the front door of the flower shop, dragging a slightly taller boy with long white hair and a short red-haired girl into the store. "Mr. Isa! Are you here?!" He calls over the bell chiming.

"Sora! You just can't yell in a shop like this!" Riku hisses quietly behind him, huffing as he crosses his arms, surveying the plant life around. Kairi chuckles and moves past Sora to look at some flowers, seemingly familiar with a lot of the flowers around.

Well, Sora is a force of nature all unto himself. He can't be stopped, can he? There's a clatter from upstairs, where Isa lives, and in a few moments they hear his heavy steps-- what kind of florist wears boots everywhere?-- coming down the stairs. Isa, his hair pulled back in a short tail, comes into the main room, already giving a neutral _'hello'_ to Sora, before stopping, taken aback, at his friends.

"Ah," He says shortly, retreating into the shell that Sora has been doing a fairly decent job at cracking, or at least nudging his way under, taking in the sight of Riku and Kairi. His brain works quickly on its own.

Riku: Tall, or taller than Sora anyway, a little rougher around the edges, probably would put himself in harms way if he thought it necessary to protect his friends. Might know how to throw a punch.

Kairi: Small. Damsel in distress type, although not necessarily because she wanted to be. Probably stubborn.

He doesn't let any of that cross his face-- his eyes barely linger for a moment on the two. "Who are your friends." It's not said like a question, but Sora might know better at this point than to think Isa is irritated. He turns to his moonflowers, his shoulders tense. These flowers are some of his favorite, and he always keeps them close to the back entryway.

"My _best_ friends! I talked about them before, Mr. Isa!" Sora grins and pulls Riku down into a sort of strangle hug by one arm, making the other boy grunt and roll his eyes. "The grumpy one here is Riku! And-!" He points over to Kairi who is staring around, enraptured by the number of flowers on display. "The one over there obsessed with flowers and sent me here in the first place, is Kairi!" He grins as Riku struggled out of his grasp.

"Ugh-! Sora you seriously don't need to do that." Riku huffs, looking up to Isa with a raised brow. "Mr. Isa, right? Uhm, nice to meet you?" He glances away, obviously unsure of what to say as Kairi bounds over to the counter.

"Mr. Isa, nice to meet you! I gotta say first off before I forget. Thank you for making Sora so cheerful for these past few weeks!" Kairi smiles. "He's been moping around too much at my house lately and he needed someone like you!"

"**_Kairi!_**" Sora literally squeaked and ran over to get next to her, a blush rising on his face. "You _really_ didn't need to say that!" He mumbles. "Sure I do!" Kairi winked, "Best friends gotta say the truth about each other after all!"

"It's just Isa," The florist rubs his upper arm as he mutters, a little overwhelmed at the antics, and a little anxious about the tall man he has sequestered upstairs, having hissed at him to _shut up and stay there_ when he heard Sora shouting. Oh, sure he'd get an earful later, but Lea trusts him enough still. Right?

He tries to smile at Kairi, but it comes off almost a cringe and he sighs internally. The exposure is widening, the circle is widening. Xemnas would not be pleased with him. He's sure that if the Superior had his way, Saïx would have been made to ban them from his store, or else move to a new location, or maybe any number of worse things. The thought makes him shudder slightly.

"I'm pleased he's gotten to feeling a little better, then," Isa says finally. He's sincere in the sentiment, which takes him a little by surprise, but he doesn't backtrack. "Are you looking for something today, or is this a social call?"

"Hmnnnnn, a social call? What's that?" Sora ponders, tilting his head. Riku shakes his own.

"Hey Sora- it's pretty obvious that Isa is overwhelmed from us being here. I think we should head out." Riku states to the other boy, his arms still crossed. It seems like his perception is pretty high for his age. Isa doesn’t know so much what to think of that.

"Hmnnnn..." Kairi hums, "Actually! I wanna buy something!" She put her hands on her hips as Riku looks at her with a slight pout.

"But Kai-!"

"No but's, Riku! We promised Sora that we'd meet Mr. Isa. So now dish out your munny and get some plants! I'm pretty sure your brothers would like them anyways." Kairi rolls her eyes and goes off to look more at the plants, Riku following along begrudgingly.

Sora laughs quietly as he watches them mutter to each other and look at the array of flowers, turning his attention to Isa. "Uhm! I guess if Riku's right then- I'm sorry for overwhelming you! I should have told you yesterday I thought of wanting them to bring them over..." He laughs nervously as he rubs the back of his head, the movement like a habit by now. "We'll be out of your hair soon enough then, Mr. Isa!"

Isa tips his head slightly in acknowledgement and resigns himself to this, with only a little reluctance, for the next half hour or so. He does stay pretty close to Sora, keeping an eye on the other two kids.

"That's alright," He assures Sora, a little more at ease now that it's just the pair of them in direct conversation. "It's nice to meet them at last regardless. And it's nice of them to be here for you after..." He trails off and waves his hand noncommittally, picking up a plant mister. "After everything."

Upstairs, there's a thump, and Isa tenses.

"....Yeah. They're really great best friends. We've stuck together since like what, kindergarten? Preschool? They're like my...second family. My only family now." Sora shrugs and pauses for a long moment as Isa watches him. "Anyways! They seriously mean a lot to me. Like, a whole lot. Do you have anyone like that for you, Mr. Isa?" Sora asks, swinging his arms back and forth. "People that you deeply care for?" He hums, slightly hearing the noise from above but deciding in an instant not to question it.

As if in response, Isa tries very hard _not_ to think about Lea, upstairs, and whatever he possibly broke. Instead, he feigns thinking. After a long pause: "I guess so." But he doesn't immediately offer any more than that.

Sora pouts, thinking about Isa’s words and eventually retreating into his own mind, leaving a void of noise as he wonders who Isa really cares for.

The greenery is looking a little over-misted, and Isa reluctantly moves away from the display, closer to where Riku and Kairi are, wondering if he can catch pieces of their conversation. They may just be kids, but Isa is paranoid, and he gets the sense that Riku is very perceptive. There are some roses here, and the florist allows himself to look almost fully drawn into their care.

His skill has never really lay in reconnaissance—he doesn't stand out like Lea does naturally, but of the two Lea was always better at learning to move silently, to blend in, and for as much as he talked he was also a surprisingly good listener, when he needed to be. Isa had heavy steps, a bulkier frame, and an awkward way of holding himself that tended to set him apart and mark him as someone to be watched. No, he was never much in the way of discreet, but he could listen, and he could hide his thoughts, and he didn't have much need to hide anything else, since this was his comfort zone and not the kids'.

Kairi and Riku are mostly, much to Isa’s simultaneous disappointment and relief, just having quiet casual talk with each other. Something about school (even if it was summer), family, etc. And then they slowly ease into the topic of discussing on how happy they are, that Sora seems recently much livelier than before. A little surprising, they acknowledge how Isa has been genuinely helping Sora’s mental state.

Riku breaks off from the conversation when he gathers all the plants he found and can afford, turning over to the countertop. Kairi follows close behind, arms full of flowers and smiling. They both dropped their chosen flowers on the counter, looking over to Isa.

Isa, keeping one eye on Sora, who seems to be spacing out, comes back around the counter and silently starts the process, now familiar to Sora probably, of counting and wrapping stems. Someday, he thinks distantly, if this whole Organization, this whole crime business, blows over, if he and Lea could ever get out, he could do this for real. Have some place exactly like this, out in a seaside town somewhere. Lea could go out and collect for him-- he never liked being cooped up in one place. Isa would fill orders and do arrangements and show customers around and teach them the language of flowers, and then at night he and Lea would climb up on the roof and look at the stars.

That's a nice thought. He lets himself indulge a moment longer before scolding himself briskly and getting back to what he is actually supposed to be doing. There's steps behind them on the stairs, lighter than Isa's were before, but not necessarily entirely unnoticeable. Isa hears them, though he, backed into a bit of a corner here, deigns to pretend that he didn't, and see if the kids do, and if so, if they make any sort of deal out of it. Riku, the eldest, is only about 15, right? Isa wonders if they'd have any idea what sort of tangled-up web they're in just by standing in this room.

He gives Riku his total, which is maybe less than it strictly was supposed to be, and watches Sora.

Riku thanks Isa, his eyes flitting over the shape of the stairs in the back for one split second before turning around and heading to the door. Waiting for Kairi now. Sora is still deep in his thoughts, which made Riku elbow at him a couple of times to snap him out of it.

Kairi pushes her flowers forward. Dandelions, Gardenias, and Primroses. She smiles with pride, obviously happy with the selection she chose. "Hey, Mr. Isa." She hums. "Can you promise something?" She whispers quietly, leaning in a little conspiratorially.

Lea might be the one he trusts most in this organization, but even that wasn't anymore a whole lot. He can feel the time pressure on his chest, and he nods to Kairi, forcing himself to curl the corners of his lips up just a little, trying to be natural. "Of course," He says. _Anything to get you out of here before Axel sees._ "Kairi, right?" He runs his fingers lightly, just a brush, over the petals of the flowers, feeling them dip gently below his touch. "What is it?"

Kairi leans further over the counter top, moving her hand to be across her mouth to make it sound clearer to Isa. "I know you and Sora just met, not too long ago. But he's been through a lot. Even before.. I'm sure you know. He really cares for you and trusts you, even if he doesn't say it yet. Can you promise to me and Riku, that you will protect him?" She whispered. A low glow covered Kairi's purple-ish eyes from the light dimming down outside. _Showing her strength of will and a power of a promise._

If only she knew, Isa thinks darkly. Still, even though this girl was just a child, he had to force himself to meet her eyes, intense as her gaze was. That is certainly a change of pace-- his colleagues wouldn't think that he could ever be cowed like that. Ah, the laughter he would endure if they found out.

"I promise," Isa tries, but his voice is almost broken. He clears his throat, clutching a little tighter onto a primrose stem, and tries again. "I promise, Miss Kairi, that I will protect Sora." He adds a little dramatic flair, while keeping his voice as low as possible, trying to both entertain and appease the girl, and not catch Lea's attention from the back room. Lea would just as surely recognize Sora's name as he would the face. Isa just hoped that Sora wouldn't recognize Lea's, if he saw it, or the distinct flame-colored hair.

He makes sure his hands don't shake with the tension as he wraps the stems and pushes them back towards her.

Kairi smiles, her eyes now losing their intense gaze but being replaced with a more far away look, "And that was an **_oath_**, Mr. Isa. Don't go breaking it, okay?"

She waved at the man before joining the boys at the front of the shop without waiting for a response. Riku whispers into Sora's ear for a few seconds and the boy nods, looking up to Isa.

"See ya, Mr. Isa!" Sora half whisper-yells, a grin apparent on his face as he waves. Riku looks to the man and shrugged, a knowing look to his eye that set Isa’s skin crawling a little bit before opening the door for Kairi and Sora to file out. The silver haired boy was last to leave the shop.

Isa stares after them as they leave, feeling like he’s crossed an invisible line of no return, then folds his arms onto the counter and dropps his head onto the pillow they provide. Just a moment of rest.

In the back, hearing the silence, Lea looks up from the minifridge, popsicle stick between his teeth, being flicked up and down, and straightens up, walking out into the front room. He puts his hand between Isa's shoulder blades. Isa makes a short noise, but doesn't otherwise react, and the two stand there in the quiet in only each other's company.

Until Lea breaks it, still chewing on his popsicle stick. “So, who was that?” His voice always has a certain lilt to it, a certain catch, a certain curiosity, that makes Isa runs his tongue over his teeth.

“No one important,” It sounds like a lie as he says it. “A recurring customer, or something.” He lifts his head, swallowing and deciding there that he couldn’t trust Lea with this—not Lea, and not Axel. Axel had been the one, of course, to do the deed, as it were, regarding Sora’s family, and Isa wasn’t quite sure how he would react to knowing that the one who had eluded him was now right beneath his nose—and Isa knew.

Lea seems ready to take him at his word, though. “You’re out of ice cream.”

Isa snorts, lifting his head and looking up at the other man. “Is that because you ate all of it?”

He laughs and backs away. “You’ll get no admission outta’ me, my friend.” Isa watches him retreat into the other room again, staring at his back with a hollow feeling in his chest. Things used to be—well, not simple, exactly, not in a long time. But different. He didn’t feel pulled in so many directions at once. He misses that feeling, where he could reach for Lea’s hand without seeing Sora’s face, where he could trust that they had each other, and that the Organization could have Saix and Axel, but it would never come between Isa and Lea.

He watches Lea’s back and he sees Sora’s face, and he sees the ocean, and a small flower shop tucked in amongst other mom and pops. He watches Lea’s back until it disappears back upstairs, beckoning him with a shining grin like nothing is wrong in the world, and then he trails after it, feeling lost.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Me, chasing a dream? Hmnn... I don't actually have a set one for the future, I think! Just following where the wind takes me. Kairi's mom said I'd work well in justice stuff, whatever that means."  
"Law enforcement, hm? Does that interest you?"  
"Maybe?” He pauses. “Bringing justice to people like me and others does sound appealing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no bonus content on this one, just straight rp... meet streli! i'm sure you all know who her brother is.  
there's no consistent update schedule, just whenever i get done with editing. i'm sick right now so i have time to be editing, but like, we write faster than i can edit, i mean even faster than i can transfer it over to the word doc

Another few weeks trickle away like ice-melt. Isa's feeling a little sick today, a little sniffly, but nevertheless opens the shop and sets to unpacking a couple of boxes and putting out the new merchandise. Just restock. It should be quiet today—a far cry from yesterday when Marluxia had come back to town, but now Isa reveled in the silence.

As always just in time, the door opens and the bell chimes and Sora walks through.

This time he carries a few shopping bags with him that seem to have school supplies in them, and beside him, a girl with orange pigtails. He grins at the girl widely, "So here's the shop, Streli! I told you that you might like it! You can totally look around if you want." His enthusiasm is evident as he speaks to her and she nods quietly, smiling softly as she does so.

Sora puts the shopping bags off to the side nearby the door and cups his hands around his mouth, "Mr. Isa! I'm here!" He calls out, giggling to himself afterward.

Isa, sequestered in the back room, shrouded in shadow, blinks slowly and walks out to the front. His nose is almost tucked into his turtleneck, his hair pulled back in a messy bun, and he looks cozy and warm. "Hello, Sora." He says as he comes in, eyes darting to Strelitzia, voice a little hoarse. In contrast to how he was when he met Riku and Kairi, he doesn't seem alarmed by the girl's presence.

That much is a testament to his improving mask. Damn Sora for being the kind to make so many friends, he thinks, even in the aftermath of tragedy, and not seclude himself and wallow in misery as Isa knows would make his job easier. Damn Axel for not taking care of the kid on the spot, although Isa's not sure if he would be damning Axel for that if he had done it. And damn Demyx, not for the first time, for slacking off and letting this situation occur in first place.

He clears his throat, trying to regain a little bit of strength to it. "Another friend today, I see."

"Yeah! Her name is Strelitzia!" Sora chirps.

The girl nods to acknowledge Isa's presence but it seems like she isn't much of a talker either, a bit shy at best. Sora, on the other hand, is, and he talks enough for her. "She really likes flowers and she runs the school garden even! Oh! Speaking of school, it's going to be starting again soon. So I dunno how many times I can come visit with all that...but I can try! I'm sure Riku and Kairi can slide some time for that haha." Sora walks over to the counter as Strelitzia silently admires the flowers.

"A lot of my friends really like plant life stuff, but they don't wanna be dragged around by me no matter how many times I try to convince them..." He sighs. "I just wanna show your shop to all my friends and get them to meet you as well!"

Maybe it's a good thing, Isa thinks, that he won't have as much time. That many more new people—Organization aside, Isa would be drowning in kids, and that's an ominous prospect for him personally as much as it is professionally. "I see," Is all he says, though, and whether its in response to the information about Strelitzia or the information about school starting is unclear.

Oh, Isa's going to regret his next words. "You are always welcome here," He tells Sora. "For... Homework or anything else. It's usually quiet."

"_Ehhh-!?_ I can show up here with my homework and stuff?! Neat!! Thank you, Mr. Isa!" Sora cheers, extremely happy with this new prospect for the school year coming up.

Usually being the operating word, there. Think, Isa. He sneezes. If he keeps the invitation open for Sora like that, with how happy he seems already, the kid is bound to show up here all the time, even given the frequency of his current visits. Inevitably, he'd bump into one or another Organization member, and Isa doubts he's the only one with Sora's face, let alone name, memorized. But he could burn that bridge when he gets to it, he argues silently. Sora being here will make it easier for him to keep tabs on him, to gather information both for and from Xemnas, and to figure out why, exactly, the Superior is so interested in him, and of course how Isa can use that to his advantage.

He breathes in, tables that line of debate for another time, and walks over to the side door. "Strelitzia is a flower name, is it not? I have only a few in the greenhouse, but you're welcome to look." He's trying his best to be cordial to Sora's friend, intently curious about her now. Something seems... Oddly familiar.

Strelitzia takes in the words from the man, blinking. "You....do?" She asks softly, her tense shoulders relaxing. "Uh, yeah, I'd like to see them." She says as she walks over to the side door, looking to Sora and quietly gesturing for him to come along. It looks like she just isn’t quite comfortable in this new place yet.

The boy, in response to her gesture, blinks and nods, running over to be by the girls side.

Isa pushes open the door and holds it for the kids. He doesn’t blame her for not yet being comfortable- it couldn't be said that he is entirely comfortable with her presence either. "Don't get your hopes up too much," He warns in a flat tone. "I only have a few, since they're so tropical."

"I wouldn't think you'd have them at all..." Strelitzia replies, looking to Sora who walks through the door first, and she follows along.

"Whaaa.....One day, Mr. Isa. Someone is just gonna buy all these flowers! I swear!" Sora says in awe as he looks around once they all enter the greenhouse. "It's seriously crazy! Makes me wonder if I should sell plants too one day! Like uh...those healing plants!"

"Herbs, Sora." Strelitzia corrects.

"Yeah-! Herbs!"

He huffs a small laugh, but it does little to disguise the hollowness in his chest. They're just kids. Sora's just a kid. "There is a lot of flowers, I doubt someone could just buy them all." Once again his mind wanders to the idyllic fantasy of a seaside flower shop, and he physically shakes himself briefly to drop it.

"A lot of flowers can be used medicinally also," Isa tells them, letting the door close and rolling his sleeves up just to the middle of his forearms. "If you give me some time I could make a fairly comprehensive rundown of what I have."

"You can't let your dreams just be a fantasy! You gotta dive in for it!" Sora huffs, following Strelitzia as she looks around.

"Is that so?" He says to Sora. "Are you chasing a dream, then?" Maybe he's overstepping a line a little bit, but he's curious, and it surprises him that it's more a personal curiosity than a professional one; unless Sora gives an answer that he really doesn't expect, that's along the lines of _hunting down whoever did that to his family_, or something else that would alarm him, Isa's mostly just asking to make conversation.

He nods towards the back wall—not pointing; internally he can hear Marluxia's rebuke to the rudeness of pointing. "The strelitzia flowers are back there, they're sometimes called bird of paradise flowers, also." He watches the girl with a curious eye, but there's something gentle about the way he speaks to her, the same as Sora. He doesn't like it. Maybe something about being under the weather like this is making him soft. He'll need to spar with Axel soon. Or hit the range.

"I've heard. My big brother told me." Strelitzia muses, mostly in response to Isa, looking to the orange and purple flowers.

"I've never seen them so close upfront! Only on the internet!" Sora gapes, looking closely.

"I think I might get them..." Strelitzia tilts her head. "They look just like my hair."

When the kids go back to the back, Isa hums, staying at the front, a comfortable, or even more than comfortable, distance. He's curious about her brother, but he resists the urge to ask, at least for the moment. "So they do," He says instead, amused in a tired, distant sense.

"Me, chasing a dream? Hmnn..." Sora shrugs to Isa's question, finally. "I don't actually have a set one for the future, I think! Just following where the wind takes me. Kairi's mom said I'd work well in justice stuff, whatever that means."

Strelitzia looked over to Isa, "Can I pick them, if that's okay with you, sir?" She asks, her hands fidgeting slightly.

That's an interesting answer. Isa, almost idly, grants Strelitzia permission, keeping his focus largely on Sora. "Law enforcement, hm? Does that interest you?" It's about the most interest that Isa has taken in Sora's personal aspirations, and he leans against one of the upper shelves as he looks across at the boy.

"Maybe?” He pauses. “Bringing justice to people like me and others does sound appealing." Sora thinks out loud, wondering about the prospect now. "When school starts, I'm going to be a freshman in high school, I know there is gonna be ton of cool classes about it!"

Oh, damn. He hopes he didn't just put the idea in his mind for real. Isa could deal, maybe, with the kid showing up here and there, even more often than that. As the right hand to Xemnas, Saïx was able to filter some of the reports, too, so he could even give Sora come cover if he needed, and very few were liable to question a lack of decision to hunt Sora down, let alone go over Saïx's head if they thought he might have omitted it.

But the boy going directly into law and justice spelled bad news. It looked like vengeance, rightfulness be damned. That made Isa nervous. He holds his tongue, though; can’t let anything slip that might make Sora suspicious, even if the boy was a little... Oblivious.

Strelitzia, at the side, picks up the flowers and mumbles to Sora that she will wait up front, and leaves through the door, so that she can do just that, and wait to purchase the flowers.

The florist’s head turns to Strelitzia as she passes, and he looks at Sora expectantly, unwilling to leave him alone in the greenhouse but also not wanting to leave the girl alone. "Come," He says in prompting. "Your friend seems ready to leave."

Sora blinks, "Ah yeah-! Sorry, I dozed off or something there." He grins, putting his hands behind his head as he walks out to go back in the store.

"Y'know I have a random question for you, Mr. Isa. Were you born with blue hair?" He asks as he rounds the counter and stands beside Strelitzia, who is searching through her purse for some munny.

Isa closes the door behind Sora and breathes in the drier air of the front room, rounding the counter on the opposite side to sit up on the stool and watch Strelitzia and Sora. Almost unconsciously he reaches up and pats at his bun. His roots are starting to show a little, a brown color. For a moment he entertains the idea of telling Sora he was, in fact, born with blue hair.

He decides against that silly idea. "No," Isa says instead. "When I was little, somewhat younger than you, I think, my friend dared me to dye it. I suppose I just kept up with it." He thinks of Lea's face when Isa came back with his hair stubbornly blue, a nice pastel-ish shade that he'd picked as the least obnoxious option, and his hand outstretched for the munny. His friend hadn't expected him to go through with it and was forced to admit he didn't exactly have all that Isa was owed. His lips curl up. Now that he thinks about it, it seems Lea still owes him some. He'll have to collect later. "How about you, then, Sora? Is your hair naturally so spiky?"

"Yep! It's literally my bed hair! I can't keep it down for the life of me." Sora crosses his arms, "I think I got cursed with spiky hair syndrome when I was a baby!”

Strelitzia snorts a little and looks away. "And a forever short syndrome."

"Hey! I swear I'm gonna get taller soon enough!" He bites back, "Maybe I'll get as tall as Mr. Isa one day." Sora sticks out his tongue.

"You wish." Strelitzia giggles.

"_Okay-_ just buy your flowers so you can stop embarrassing me!" Sora blushes brightly, looking apologetically to Isa.

"Maybe some of those medicinal herbs can help." Isa's suggestion is dry and flat, but there's a flicker of good humor in his eyes that says he's joking. He even glances down at Strelitzia with a brief blink that says that she is welcome here too, as he reaches for the flowers.

"Aw come on Mr. Isa, don't get on that too!" Sora groans.

Strelitzia puts her munny down on the counter, "I think...when school starts. Maybe I can buy some flowers here and replant them in the school garden. It would be nice for a fresh start." The girl shrugs at her own suggestion as she waits for her payment, Sora moving back to pick up the bags he left by the door.

He looks outside and gapes: "The sun is setting already?! Man, Kairi's mom is gonna kill me!"

If Isa does a deliberately nicer wrapping job on these flowers as he slides them back to her and puts away the munny, he doesn't let it on. He gives Sora a slow blink only, then follows his gaze out the front side glass wall.

"You'd better hurry home then, yes?" He sets his elbows on the counter. "Growing boys need sleep, especially with school starting." His voice is monotone as ever, but he's in a little less of a rush to get them out as they are to leave, or as he usually is. Maybe he enjoys their company. Isa won't let that show on his face either.

"You're right ughh-!" Sora rushes over to Strelitzia and pulls her along. "C'mon, we gotta go before your brother gets worried and I get the cops called on me!"

"Okay okay I'm coming!" Strelitzia holds the flowers close and moves over, she waves to Isa before exiting.

Sora lingers for a few seconds, turning his head and flashing a smile. "Mr. Isa, I'll see you tomorrow!!" He waves as well and left, the door closing behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora takes a second before sitting on the floor, looking up to the ceiling. "I'm an orphan, right?" He sighs. "I don't have an actual home now, since my old house was sold off, I think. The others at school call it a haunted home. That I'm a ghost or something. I dunno what they actually mean by it." He shakes his head; this is clearly weighing on him.
> 
> "I uh, got into a fight. Yesterday. Surprising right?" Isa gets the sense that Sora's question isn't meant for an answer, and he only hums acknowledgement. Sora laughs. "I'm only a few months into school and it's just crazy honestly. You can't see it from where you are but I'm sporting a pretty great black eye! And also some bruises here and there." He brings his knees up to his chest self-consciously. "They told me I wouldn't ever find my family again and that I should have protected them that night... If I'm going to be a hero."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter length, like the update schedule, is wildly variable, and for that i'm so sorry. in other h&s related news: su is really good at making me hurt & i can't forgive her for that. this thing is way more expansive than it's reached on here so far, and it's like, halfway through without bonus content. yikes.  
anyway, here's the first taster of pain.

Despite the open sign hanging in the window, the store is dark, with only a few dim lights visible in the front room, and the back room completely enshrouded in shadow, with none of the sun’s dying rays making their way in from the front windows. Isa is cloistered there instead of upstairs where he lives, ostensibly to keep an eye on his business, but maybe more so because he wants to keep an eye on his colleagues if they come in.

He isn’t really expecting the bell to ring. If he has any visitors, he expects them through the back door, to which all other members of the Organization have the key. Of course, then, the bell rings. But it is pretty well into the evening now, so why is Sora here?

The boy walks through the door and glances around. "Mr. Isa? Are you here?" He calls out, softly. Sora seems to be unsure if he was here, since it is so dark; despite the dim light but he presses on. It's been a few months since he got to know the man, and he feels, regardless of if its reciprocated, close to Isa, thus spiking some of his worry, but he still keeps his good attitude. Just in case.

Sora? Great. If Isa were to make a list of 15 people he doesn't want to see right now, Sora's name would definitely be on there. He doesn't really have a placement for how high the name would be, but Sora _is_ more or less the reason for Isa's current predicament, so that name definitely would be there.

But he can't just ignore him. "Yes," He says, loudly enough to be heard, and forces himself to stand up, though he doesn't yet come into the front room. "It's late, Sora, why are you here?" The words are flat, not tempered with any kind of usual gentleness, however little was normally present.

"Uhm..." Sora trails off.

He isn't sure why Isa isn't coming out, but he might as well just explain why he's here. "I snuck out, some stuff came up during school today and also yesterday and it was hanging on my head. I just wanted to talk about it I guess. To someone." Sora shuffles his feet. "Kairi was asleep, I didn't wanna bother her... Ehh... It's stupid when I say it out loud," He mumbles, rubbing the back of his head. Also, he kind of doesn't want to go to sleep, but he doesn't mention that.

God, this is one of the least comfortable positions Isa's been in, metaphorically speaking, since this fiasco started some months ago. The florist leans against the stairs and sets his temple on the wall gently. "I'm listening," He offers, still flat, but not entirely unyielding.

See, now he feels a little trapped. He wants to know, both personally and professionally, what's on Sora's mind. He's been tasked, in a somewhat sarcastic and harsh tone, with nurturing Sora as a sort of sleeper agent, and keeping tabs on him and whatever information he has. _He trusts you,_ the Superior had said. _For better or worse. You are to use that for all its worth. Don't forget where your loyalties lie._

_Yes, sir._ Had been Saïx's response, and now his stomach twists, just slightly, at the thought. Don't forget, he hisses to himself. You don't have any attachment to this world. Your loyalties are with _them_, and everything you do is for them.

Sora takes a second before sitting on the floor, looking up to the ceiling. "I'm an orphan, right?" He sighs. "I don't have an actual home now, since my old house was sold off, I think. The others at school call it a haunted home. That I'm a ghost or something. I dunno what they actually mean by it." He shakes his head; this is clearly weighing on him.

"I uh, got into a fight. Yesterday. Surprising right?" Isa gets the sense that Sora's question isn't meant for an answer, and he only hums acknowledgement. Sora laughs. "I'm only a few months into school and it's just crazy honestly. You can't see it from where you are but I'm sporting a pretty great black eye! And also some bruises here and there." He brings his knees up to his chest self-consciously. "They told me I wouldn't ever find my family again and that I should have protected them that night... If I'm going to be a hero."

He huffs—he still has a lot that he’s carrying in his heart, but this feels like enough to get out, so the choking feeling can let up somewhat. "Riku and Kairi got pretty angry when they found out...but I told them that it's okay. I don't need them protecting me for my mistakes."

Isa waits until he’s done before he laughs, coldly. He doesn’t laugh often. "Protected them? A child... What would you have done? Gotten killed. No, better you escaped. I don't really know how, but that... That is better." Maybe he's trying to convince himself of that too. After all, some part of him whispers, the part he names Saïx, it would have been _easier_ if Sora had been taken out too. If they'd known he existed, then Axel, and his damned soft heart, would have been left behind, in favor of Xigbar and his efficient lethality. "Your friends ought to let you fight your own battles." It's blunt, and maybe surprisingly cold. Isa moves deeper into the darkness of the back room and Sora can hear the sound of water running.

"I... I guess.” Sora blinks. “But I also think it isn't always okay to be alone. Our strengths and connections, they run somewhere deeper. All of my friends....I love them a lot. Even you, Isa. You seriously...mean a lot to me." He stops, squawks and covers his mouth. "Oh n—I’m so sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" He yelps.

Sora is starting to learn, over time, that Isa seems to get uncomfortable with affection, and he didn’t mean to exacerbate that; he especially didn't mean to miss the "mister" part. It just came out of him like that. Maybe since it was pretty late into the night, that was affecting him? But what he said was the truth.

Isa sighs and, unseen to Sora, drops his head, fighting back some emotional outburst, a laugh or a howl or tears, each as bad as the last. The last day or so has been the cherry on top of one stressful ice cream sundae of the past few months, and while part of him is grateful that Sora is here, not just alive but physically present, here with Isa, part of him wants to scare Sora away so bad that he will never return.

Except now it was too late for that, wasn't it? Then he would have failed Xemnas again. And no one does that and lives to tell the tale. Isa shudders like an ice cube has been put down the back of his shirt.

Most of him, though, wants to run away, pack up and disappear, like he's died or vanished. Go to the sea side. Maybe Lea could come with him. They could sell flowers. The dream feels, as always, so sickly saccharine, distant and unreachable, a moon to yearn for but never to reach. But for some reason, he feels like his fingers, today, will be able to brush its surface.

He turns the water off and walks over to the entryway, pausing where Sora can see his silhouette but no details of his features. "I can't imagine." His voice is rough, almost hoarse. "Tell me, Sora: Have you ever wanted to run away?"

"Have... Have I ever wanted to run away...?" The boy repeats the question, looking to Isa's silhouette. Sora scratches at his cheek. "...Yeah. I'm... Well... I love it here, of course, but I miss being by the ocean. I lived on Destiny Islands before moving with my family to here. I dreamt of it a lot, and I wonder if everything would be fine living over there. Me growing older... Taking Riku and Kairi and just heading out to the islands. You might like it there too, so much pretty plants around to look at." He chuckles. "But yeah, I have wanted to run away, countless times. But for now I think I'm kinda stuck here."

Isa laughs again, still that cold laugh that doesn't seem quite right, and steps forward into the light more, where Sora can see him. "I suppose so," He says. Trapped. Both of them.

Cutting across his face, starting at the top above his eyebrows and going as far down as below his eyes, is a jagged x-shaped tear, held together with butterfly bandages and crusted blood. His jaw is a little bruised, and his eyes are glittering with an emotional blend that can't quite be put into words. He stares at Sora, an unspoken challenge.

Sora's eyes widen in response and he stands, getting off the ground as fast as he can. His shoulders are suddenly tense.

"Wh—What happened to your..." He cuts himself off, shaking his head. It looks like his own onslaught of emotions is seriously crashing into him. Sora balls his hands into fists, "Who did that to you?!" He nearly yells on top of his lungs. His own problems were thrown right out the window in the face of his new anger.

"That's a..." He isn't sure what to do, but he feels worry and anger mixing together in his heart. Something familiar about this comes up in his mind, like as if he saw that x shape before, but he pays no mind to the itch in his brain about that.

Someone hurt Isa!

Isa watches him for a moment, expression slowly blanking out. His brows furrow together, causing a small amount of fresh blood to bead in the wound. "No one," He says finally, his voice sapped of the energy it had had a few moments ago. It's as if facing Sora, showing this to him, baring his own failings for the child to see, was the last straw for him, and he feels his energy, his adrenaline, and the harsh bitterness that he had faced Sora with at the start has sapped away.

He turns and heads back into the back room, looking up at the stairs. It was getting close to closing time, and Isa wants little more than to crawl into bed and forget, for a few hours, that today had happened. "You should go home. Tell your friends that you're okay." His voice is flat and emotionless again.

"I-" Sora watches Isa go back to the back room before his heart pushes at him. His feet start to move on their own as he ran into the room as well. "Isa, wait!" Sora yells this time. He reaches his arm out and half-haphazardly grabs onto Isa's hand. His heart pounds in his ears as he looks up to the taller man. His brain is racing at light speed, unsure what to do really at that moment. His heart, ever his guide, had raised his arm... It wanted to do something, anything.

Isa doesn't flinch when Sora catches his hand, although he feels like he's been stung. He doesn't move it, either, staring down blankly at Sora. "What." It's not a question, necessarily, merely an acknowledgement that Sora is there when Isa had told him that he shouldn't be. Awaiting whatever Sora is going to say. He's tired.

The boy bites at his lower lip, floundering. Then his heart comes up with something on the spot.

Sora's face scrunches up and he makes the most ridiculous funny face he could ever muster in front of Isa, the mounting tension in the room suddenly slipping away, and when it’s gone, what’s left is Sora, making a loud funny noise to go with his funny face, staring right at Isa, just the two of them.

Isa's eyebrows twitch, then his mouth curls up in a very small, slight smile. He looks distinctly exhausted, but part of him is amused and affectionate, and he lifts his hand free of Sora’s grip, almost unconsciously, and sets it on the boy's hair, giving it a gentle ruffle.

"You're a good kid," He says quietly. "Don't change." There's a lot of meaning in his voice, but he'll be damned if he lets Sora hear it. Although now... He feels like he doesn't really want to let Sora go. "Do you still not want to go to sleep? You're welcome to stay for a time, if you like." He has books, upstairs, and Lea's left some video games here ("So I won't be bored when I come over," Lea explained with his tongue stuck out once).

Sora's eyes sparkle at the sight of Isa's slight smile and he laughs when his hair is ruffled. "Hey! My hair is already messy as it is...!" He protests, but it’s light and in a joking manner. Sora is just glad he managed to somehow make Isa feel better. "I can really stay? Then yeah! I'd love to be around!" He puts his hands behind his head once again, his grin becoming a radiant light in the dark.

Isa walks over and turns on the light to the back room, then goes over to the front and flips the sign to closed. "What..." He trails off and clears his throat, awkward. The florist is pretty socially inept, since he doesn't really have any friends beside Lea, maybe, and Sora. "What do you like to do? I can't quite guarantee I have whatever it is, but... We can see."

"Hmnn...Let's play some games, make up stories, anything!" Sora chirps, looking over to the stairs. "You live here right? So... I'm pretty sure we can figure something out, Isa!" He gives a thumbs up, ready for anything with the energy brimming off of him.

As long as he had his friends, he was ready for anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembers being Sora's age, running about with Lea-- man, he doesn't think Sora would believe that he was the same person. And maybe he isn't. He exhales and pulls his hand away from the boy, crossing his arms instead and looking at the table with Sora. "Happy birthday," He says suddenly.
> 
> "Wh-!" Sora looks up to Isa, his eyes widening. He actually hadn't expect him to say that. "Th-Thanks Isa!" The boy stammers before grinning widely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took forever! i started at university and haven't had an exorbitant amount of time for editing. but here it is! fun times feat. sora's birthday.

Isa has his hair in a braid today, in the middle of his back, with a couple of flowers woven into it, because hey, why not? It feels... New, for him. He doesn't often get out like this, and he feels like he's breathing new air. It's refreshing. Thus, flowers. But he's also nervous as _hell_, and he feels like he's going to regret this. In his hands, he turns over the small package over and over, wrapped in newspaper and the brown paper he uses in the shop, with a small red ribbon. For Sora. God, this is a bad idea.

He raises one hand (fingerless gloves; again, why not?) and knocks on the door hesitantly, before he can let himself back out and leave the package in the mailbox.

For a minute, there are some loud noises coming from behind the door, and then yelling. If Isa were to listen closely, he would be able to hear some snippets of kids yelling at each other before footsteps run to the door.

The door opens before Isa, and there stands a frazzled-looking Kairi. "Oh sh- Mr. Isa! Hey!" She greets with wide eyes, her long hair messy from whatever was happening a moment ago. She obviously has grown some since the last time that Isa had seen her.

It takes everything Isa has within him not to cower in the face of this rowdiness, but he manages not to flinch any more than wrapping one arm around his own midsection, scratching idly at his opposite arm. His good mood is wilting like a flower left in the sun too long.

"Sora said you'd be here! Come in! Uhm... Don't mind the mess? A lot of us are here and it's pretty rowdy. My mom is in the kitchen! And I think Sora is..."

As if on cue, the birthday boy himself appears. Sora bounds down the stairs, wearing a pair of silly glasses and a fake mustache and a party hat attached to his ever-spikier hair. "Kairi! Namine is trying to draw on m—" He nearly trips on his face when he sees the head of familiar blue hair. "_ISA?!_ You made it!" Sora gasps, and then grins widely in front of the man. "I knew you would show up!"

Kairi rolls her eyes and laughs. "I'm gonna go see where Riku is, probably got holed up in some room by his brothers." She says, hand on her hip, before disappearing back into the house. Isa blinks.

"I'm glad I've made it in time." His statement is in response to Sora’s, but he doesn't sound very glad. More than anything, he really just wants to drop off the parcel and leave, but Sora's wide grin has him stepping over the threshold and closing the door gently behind him, feeling more than a little awkward. "The, uh, kitchen she said?"

"Oh! Yeah! Kairi's mom is in there. I'll take you!" Sora chirps, taking off his fake glasses and party hat and putting them go the side. "A lot of the adults left, so I'm sorry about that. I tried to persuade some to stay but it just didn't work." He pouts. Isa offers a slight smile. "But Kairi's mom is really nice, trust me!"

He takes Isa's hand and walks him over to the other room that Kairi had directed them to. "So here's the kitchen-- You gotta see Riku whenever he gets out of the situation he's in! He's gotten sooooo tall, maybe as tall as you!" Sora grins.

"Hey Sora! Get up here right now! You still have this stupid dumbass boss to kill!" A boy's voice yells from upstairs.

"Ack! Coming, Roxas!" Sora yells in return. "I gotta run for a little bit, but I'll be back down as soon as possible! Promise! Make yourself comfortable!" He adds to Isa, apologetically smiling before running off.

"That's alright," Isa says after Sora, kind of overwhelmed by his chatterbox nature, not really sure which of his comments he's responding to. Riku, that silver-haired kid, as tall as Isa? He smirks inwardly at the thought, kind of doubting that was the case.

At any rate, he enters the kitchen, not really sure what to expect, but holding his package in both hands like a lifeline. He regrets not taking his tall-collared jacket; he could have hidden his face in it, but this is how he's stuck now and he'd better make the best of it. He turns to look at the other adult in the room.

A woman with tied up brownish red hair stands near the stove of the small homey kitchen, the smell of what seemed to be seafood wafting through the air. The woman appears well into her 30's but her purple/blue eyes sparkle with some sort of youthfulness. It’s was pretty obvious that she was Kairi's mother.

She looks up when she notices that someone else is in the room with her, and turns around to face Isa. "Oh!" She tilts her head. "You must be Isa, correct?" She asks with a slight smile. "My name is Nanami, I'm glad you were able to make it here."

For the first time since he's known Sora, Isa is simultaneously in the company of the boy, although he’s left the room, and a person older than himself. He feels this acutely. "Yes, that's right," He says in a quiet voice. He's not exactly scared of or intimidated by people older than him, and he's used to managing them-- most of the higher-numbered of his colleagues are older than him (Zexion being the only exception), but he's quite capable of intimidating them in turn. Yet this strange woman has him nervous. "Thank you for opening your home to me. I know it... Seems a little weird. Sora is a good kid, though." He shuts his mouth. Don't ramble, Isa.

Nanami waves her hand off, "No no, it isn't weird at all. Sora manages to make friends with many types of people, adults included." She chuckles. "For as long as I knew him, that boy has a heart of gold and it never wavered."

She gestures for him to sit down, "Sora, Riku, and my daughter tend to talk about you quite a bit. But Sora especially. He really does seem to enjoy your presence." Nanami smiles wistfully as she leans against the countertop. The sound of sizzling from the stove covers the quietness of the kitchen.

"That's true." Isa sits down as directed, if a little awkward. "I'm... Glad," The words sound weird as he says them, and he looks down at the package in his hands, feeling a little guilty. A part of him whispers to ignore it. That part also didn't want him to come to this event today; it's the part that buys into Xemnas's words, that Isa has nowhere else to go. That he has no attachments, and no emotions. He tells it to be quiet. Today he is free of Xemnas, at least for a little while. "That I can be of some help to him. I met him... Of course, after everything... You know. And it's nice to see that he seems to be recovering somewhat."

Nanami sighs, "Yes, of course. For what befall him and his family, everyday it's so surprising to see him on his feet, especially today and so happy." She looks to the ceiling. "You've been certainly helping the process, unfortunately it doesn't stop his constant nightmares and night terrors. But I don't think anything... Nothing for now can help with those. I've been wanting to take him to see a therapist one day, as he is still growing. But I'm not his legal guardian."

Oh, how Isa does _not_ want to hear about his night terrors and nightmares. He stares intently at the package in his hands, turning over this new information in his mind, thinking about what to do. The wound on his face is newly scarred over, bright pink flesh that stands out in stark contrast on his skin, a constant reminder of his weakness. He has an idea, but it... It couldn't be feasible. He touches his face unconsciously.

"And none of his further out relatives want anything _to do with him._" Nanami crosses her arms as she continues, nearly hissing, fury mounting. "It's honestly blasphemous I'd say. **_Abandoning_** a child who just lost his whole family during the night and he had no family to turn to besides his best friends? The police weren't any better either. It just makes me angry." She places a hand over her forehead. "Sora, he's just a child who retains his youth despite being forced to carry on without the love of his mothers and siblings. It's just… not fair." Nanami sighs and shakes her head. "Apologies about that, I just get riled up so easily about it."

"It's no problem," He says, almost lightly, as if he is nothing more than a sympathetic third party observer to Sora's pain. "I wish I could help more." And then he lapses into silence, awkward, unsure what to say. "Ah... What should I do with this?" He holds the package up for her scrutiny.

The mood picks up a little, as Isa had sort of hoped it would. "You brought him a gift?" Nanami smiles. "You can either leave it nearby one of the tables where the other gifts are at or you can give it to him yourself." She chuckles. "I am sure he would very loudly appreciate it..."

She looks back to her cooking, "Hmn...Isa. Sora very much cares for you, and I think you started to appear in those dreams of his. If you could tell him to stop skipping on sleeping and also skipping meals, I think he would listen to you. He's been on that path for a little too long and he tries to bottle it up. But it isn't my place to say any more."

Isa is putting the gift at the table when Nanami speaks again, and it just about bowls him over, the emotional _honesty_ of her words. He's a little taken aback, and the guilt nibbles at him, but he simply nods and takes that message and tucks it into his brain to think about later. Maybe he would, then-- maybe Sora does need him a little, at least right now. That'd be good for him, something to keep him grounded here, to remind him when he left those tense meetings and when his shop emptied of other organization members that came and went, that he had a life here too.

Isa is pretty sure that other members have things like that too. A couple of them—they have each other, like Ienzo and Even, living as father and son still, or even Isa and Lea, although that... Seems to be fading away, and Isa's not really sure why. Maybe it's good for Isa to have one that's all his own.

Nanami looks at the man over her shoulder. "You can go ahead and call him down! Food for everyone is almost ready anyways."

"I think he was finishing a boss fight. If you don't mind, I might go up there. I don't like to yell too much." He pauses and waits politely for her permission. It'd be good to get out of the kitchen, too, and its stiflingly _heartfelt_ atmosphere. He could only take so much in one dosage.

Nanami laughs slightly, "Yes yes, you can go upstairs. Don't just let Riku's little twin brothers catch you. They're quite a handful, especially for me." She wistfully smiles again and returns her focus to her cooking as Isa leaves the kitchen.

There are sounds of a scuffle upstairs and more running around as the sound of Sora's yelling was apparent, rising above it all. With only a little trepidation, the florist ascends the steps and looks around. "Sora?" He calls, just slightly louder than his normal speaking voice. He has no idea where they are, and this house is kind of a labyrinth for him. "Er—Kairi?" Maybe she'd hear, too.

Instead of the two he called, Riku shows up from outside a room, "Wh- Oh- Hey Isa." He waves. Okay yeah, he seriously had a major growth spurt and was... _Tall_. And his hair, too, got longer like Kairi's and Sora's. Where did all the time go? "You're looking for Sora? He's probably in Kairi's room, which is down that hall." He points to the opposite side of the hall. "Mostly everyone is in there anyways." He shrugs.

"Hey asshole!" A voice comes from inside the room Riku is standing in front of, "Come back here and fix JJ's laptop!" Riku groans and puts his hand over his face. "Screw off Ritsu...." He mumbles to himself before turning to the door. He looks over to Isa, and waves slightly before opening the door and disappearing back into the room.

"SORAAAAAA!" A loud howl comes from the room Riku mentions, and there are more words being thrown back and forth. Oh boy.

Well, that was... Entirely helpful. Kind of like a random encounter in a video game, that did more to raise questions than strictly to answer them. Isa goes over to the room in question and, almost fearful, knocks on the door. "Sora?" He raises his voice again, hoping to be heard over the sounds of the kids. "It's Isa. Kairi's mother says that you all can come down." And then he backs away just a step or two, expecting the door to be thrown open at any moment.

The room goes quickly silent before there is a shout of, "WHAT THE FUCK!" coming from the other side.

After a short pause, the door swings open with a large grinning Sora, "Hey Isa! We'll be right down in just a second!" Behind him are two kids frantically whispering to each other, and Kairi and a blonde girl talking to each other on her bed. He turns his head around, "C'mon guys let's go!" Sora urges.

The two kids whispering to each other got up, and the boy, with blond hair spiked up, glares deadly daggers at Isa for some undeterminable reason before leaving to go downstairs with the black haired girl.

"Those two are Roxas and Xion. Roxas just gets uptight sometimes, so don't mind him!" Sora explains to Isa with a cheerful look.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Anyways. Kairi and Namine, you comin'?" Sora looks over to the girls and they nod, Kairi looking over.

"Go on with Isa to downstairs, we'll be there in a sec Sora." She shooes them out. "Me and Nami will drag Riku and his brothers down."

"Okay, if you say so." Sora shrugs, closing the door behind him and smiles at Isa. "Alright, let's see what we have, food wise!"

Isa is perplexed at the glare he receives but allows himself to be shooed and wonders how he managed to go in to retrieve the set of kids and is leaving now with just one. Alright. "Your friends seem..." He grasps for a word that didn't sound like he was lying through his teeth. "Interesting." He settles on, trying to be as polite as possible. He is, in fact, pleased to see Sora, as he leads the way downstairs. He is definitely most comfortable with this boy of everyone in the house, and Nanami's words weighed on his mind. Now is not an appropriate time, but he feels that he did have to talk to Sora about what she had said. He cares—the realization took his breath away—he _cares_ about this boy and his well-being, and that scares him.

"Hmnnn...Yeah! But I love them all the same. I didn't want to invite _all_ of my friends because it'd... Honestly be way too crowded even for me! That's why I did some stuff at school too." Sora swings his hands behind his head and walks down the stairs with the man.

There's _more?_ God, Sora's probably friends with more people than Isa's interacted with at all in the past year. That's a terrifying prospect. "Ah," He says blandly. No doubt Sora could carry a conversation all on his own, but he didn't want it to seem like he was... Ignoring him, exactly.

The rest of the kids were surrounding the dining table in the living room, picking at the food they want and being rowdy generally, still. "I don't think I'm really hungry yet..." Sora said, thoughtful as he looked at them, then turning around to face Isa. "Do you wanna come and open the presents with me? Ms. Nanami would probably let us open them."

"Is it that time yet?" Don't these things have an order? Not like Isa knows very much about birthday parties. He mostly just wants to stick to the back and let Sora do what Sora does best: Soak up the attention and be in the spotlight.

"I guess not exactly... But I still wanna see the presents! Plus I think after the cake is cut and everything, we'll finish off the party! I think you'd appreciate that." Sora laughs, reading Isa well as always. "C'mon! Let's go see the presents!" He takes Isa's hand once again and drags him to the table that held all of the gifts. Isa's present is sitting amongst the small amount of others.

"Oh, alright," He allows as he's pulled along, the corners of his lips turning up just slightly. He remembers being Sora's age, running about with Lea-- man, he doesn't think Sora would believe that he was the same person. And maybe he isn't. He exhales and pulls his hand away from the boy, crossing his arms instead and looking at the table with Sora. "Happy birthday," He says suddenly.

"Wh-!" Sora looks up to Isa, his eyes widening. He actually hadn't expect him to say that. "Th-Thanks Isa!" The boy stammers before grinning widely. He reaches over to the first present he can reach and starts to sift through them, appreciating them all one by one, as he paces himself. It looks like he is actually saving Isa's to be the last one even if he didn't plan (or know) that.

Oh man, Isa is so _screwed_. He leans against the wall and sighs to himself, closing his eyes and listening to Sora's little noises and the ambience of the house itself and the chatter from the other room. This is so, so bad. Isa is attached to this child, he admits to himself. He wants to see him like this more often, happy and surrounded by friends and... God, this really sucks.

When it comes to the second to last package, Sora opens it and lets out the loudest gasp a boy can make. Isa opens his eyes at the sound, heart hitching a tiny bit; that anxiety that nagged him about his own package for Sora coming back, but he needn’t worry for the moment, anyway. In Sora’s hand is a phone, one of those new gummiphone models or however they call it. The case around it is red and has a yellow crown shape behind it. "_Huhhh?!!_" He looks over to the other room and saw Nanami giving him a smile and a thumbs up. "T-This is-!" He whirls around to Isa with wide eyes, almost like he has whiplash. "Isa look! It's my first phone!!" Sora shows off the device, lifting it in his hands. "I can finally talk to all of you even if I'm busy!"

"What if we're busy, hm?” The man is just teasing, a little bit of spark even if his face is otherwise blank, as he looks at the phone briefly then back to Sora, giving a glance to Kairi's mother in the other room-- maybe grateful, who knew?

"Then I'll just text ya until your phone blows up!" Sora laughs. "Joking joking- but its good to open your phone after a busy day and maybe smile sometimes! Anyone deserves that!" He admires the phone a little more until he put it down, moving to the last but not least package. Isa's gift.

Something about that... Surprises Isa, and he blinks, taken aback, as his own phone weighs heavy in his pocket. It is silent most of the time: rarely does anyone have reason or desire to text him and... The thought that maybe Sora does is almost too much to think about. He closes his eyes again as Kairi pokes her head back in the room.

"Sora, what're you doing?" She scolds cheerfully, playfully, her hand on her hip again. "You have to come in here and eat! And then we'll have cake later."

Sora holds up the small package and looked over. "I'm coming, I'm coming! I just have one last present to open up!" He sticks out his tongue at the girl. "Don't let Riku eat the rest of the food!"

He opens up the wrapping with the ribbon and his eyes widen just as before. "A... Necklace?" Sora mumbles as he raises up the silver chain and the silver crown glints back at him. For some reason, he feels a lump in his throat, a rising feeling in his chest, and tears start to pool in his eyes. He has no real idea why but he accepts it; maybe it’s just a familiar feeling to him. Sora turns to Isa. "This is your gift to me, right?" He asks, looking to the necklace and smiling widely through his tears. He clasps it around his neck. It fits perfectly. He runs forward and wraps his arms around the man. "Thank you Isa! Thank you! It's perfect!" Sora is hugging him.

As a rule, Isa doesn't like to be touched. He has been known to flip Lea over the counter when he's surprised with a hug from behind. Even with this most unthreatening kid, it takes everything he has in him not to lash out.

Instead, the florist awkwardly pats his head, looking up and away, embarrassed despite himself. It was one thing to show up to this celebration, to indicate to Sora that he recognized that he had made it through the rest of this horrible year, that he was advancing in life despite the odds, and an entirely different thing to give a gift, to reveal that Sora had taken up some sort of residency in Isa's heart.

_Okay,_ He tells himself. _Don't read so much into it._ But clearly he is not the only one, given Sora's emotional state.

"Yeah, alright. You're welcome," Isa mumbles defensively, moving his hand to Sora's shoulder.

Sora sniffs, pulling away with a wide watery smile. He doesn’t want to get any snot on the man at least. "Sorry for doing that without warning- I just-!" He looks down to his new crown necklace. "I...I will seriously cherish this forever, Isa! I promise!" Sora turns his eyes back up with pride brimming in them.

Kairi and this time Riku as well, call for him to come into the room now, with a little less patience than before, but still lighthearted. "Ah! Coming!" He flashes another smile to Isa and gestures for him to come along.

"It's alright," His voice is still nearly a mumble as he takes his hand away and folds them both behind his back, picking at his sleeve where it’s hidden. He follows behind Sora, more than a little awkward as he hopes that no one mentions Sora's red-rimmed eyes. Please, if someone thought he made Sora cry, especially in a not-happy way, he'd never be able to show his face around the kid again, and where would that leave him?

Luckily no one mentions it and the party goes on, food being passed out to everyone as Sora talks away, showing off the gifts he got. Especially the phone and crown necklace. He seems so happy about it too.

Cake is cut and then eventually the kids are starting to be picked up. Roxas and Xion pass by Isa with a stare, leaving the house last.

Isa is still completely baffled at the attitude of the two kids, and he meets their stare with a confused look as they pass. Maybe he could get Sora to explain that to them—if Sora had even noticed. It is apparent, sometimes, that Sora is just a little oblivious, and that some things just pass a little ways above his head, and that’s alright, generally, except Isa is seriously drowning in confusion here.

Riku stays behind after his brothers leave, helping Kairi clean up. Sora decides to keep Isa company until he heads off. The boy looks down to his new phone and then up to Isa. "Hmnnn... Hey, Isa! Do you wanna be my first contact?" He asks, tilting his head.

He had tried to help clean up, but Nanami insisted he don't, he was a guest, etc. etc., and finally he had relented. He looks over at Sora, surprised. "Really?" That’s a silly question; Sora doesn't say anything he doesn't mean. His phone burns a hole through his pocket, and he tries not to bounce his leg, keeping his features blank. "Alright. If you want."

"Yessss!" Sora cheers, turning on the phone and flipping through it, finding the number pad. He hands the phone over to Isa. "Here you go!" He is nearly vibrating with the excitement of the prospect of texting Isa whenever. Sora promises himself giddily that he would text the man at least every day, no matter what probably!

Yeah, Isa sees absolutely no reason why this could go wrong. With slight reluctance, he takes the phone. There is no going back from this, although distantly Isa figures he'd passed the point of no return some time ago. The scar on his face is clear evidence of that.

He types in the number with only a little hesitation dragging at his fingers, and then hands it back to Sora. "I'm setting you a curfew," He only half-jokes. "No texting me after 10PM."

"Whaaat, no texts at the witching hour?" Sora whines and huffs. "Fine, I won't." He laughs and takes back the phone, putting it to the side and glancing to the clock. "Oh! It's probably sundown by now...! Before you head out I gotta get you something!" Sora gets up and runs into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, he comes out with two light blue ice cream bars. Sora extends one out to Isa with a grin, "Sea salt ice cream! Riku and Kairi already took their shares but I wanted to save one for you as well! Trust me, it's super good."

Isa blinks as Sora runs out, but when he returns, he feels his vision blur for just a moment. If there is any point that Isa was weak, truly weak, not just what Xemnas thought... It's this. Outwardly, he manages to retain a mostly blank expression, but for a quick few blinks, but through his mind runs a quick succession of memories: Lea grinning as he handed him one of those very same bars, Isa pressing one into his hand the first time that Lea finished a mission, when his eyes still held that shell-shocked, empty look that had scared his friend so badly, and more recently, Lea staring out into the front room, chewing on a popsicle stick, listening to Isa lie to him.

He tries to smile, even a little, as he takes the ice cream from Sora. "Thank you." His voice falls flat in a way that makes him cringe a little internally. He doesn't let on that he's familiar with the flavor. "I'm sure it’s good, if you like it." But he doesn't eat it yet, just staring at it, all too aware of his heart beat.

Sora tilts his head. If he notices something was off with Isa, he isn’t letting on. "You're welcome! When Roxas and Xion introduced me to it, I was kinda suspicious. Like, sea salt with ice cream? But then I tried it and I got addicted ever since." Sora reminisces. "Well! Anyways, maybe you should head out soon. It's gonna get dark!"

It seems his niche flavor is spreading. He isn't quite sure what to think of that, or how he feels about it instinctually. He stands, giving the ice cream a tentative taste. "Yes, you're probably right," Isa says, a little quiet, and awkwardly pats Sora's shoulder. "Happy birthday, again, Sora."

He goes over to the door at last, nodding in acknowledgement at Kairi and Riku, the latter of whom makes him nervous, and exchanges quiet words with Nanami, thanking her for hosting and, more importantly, for watching over Sora. Isa's surprise at how genuine he means that is much diminished-- he knows he cares, even if he's not really sure what that means for him, or even if it’s worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> preview for the next:
> 
> "Plus I haven't gotten lucky enough like Roxas to get a 'winner' stick yet. I need to beat him at something!"
> 
> "You don't have to," Isa starts to chide, but he catches sight of the man in the alley and pauses, stumbling over his words in a distinctly uncharacteristic manner. The man smirks. He's young despite his white hair, maybe even a little younger than Isa is, but he stands with the confidence of a man who has never been brought low by anything, and something about his appearance has startled, even frightened, the normally impassive older man, who stops altogether, mouth dry.


End file.
